Railway-switch.



PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

G. N. WRIGHT RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

Gabrjel V awe/Who;

PATBNTED OCT. 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 N0 MODEL.

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O O Gabaiel/VWkfln-vamtbz" NN 7% w R om m v Q N m E N h 1 N g KN mm m @N N1 Ft u vfi ww UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

GABRIEL NORMAN WRIGHT, OF MADILL, INDIAN TERRITORY.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,361, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed August 25, 1904:. Serial No. 222,121. (No model.) i

To (tZZ 1071 0121 it may concern:

Be it known that I, GABRIEL NORMAN IVRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madill, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, have inventeda new and useful Railway-Switch, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in railway-switches.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of railway-switches and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one adapted to close automatically whereby accidents resulting from trains running on an open switch are effectually prevented.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch having a detachable operating device adapted to hold a switch open until a train passes and capable of being removed only when the switch is closed, so that there will be no liability of a switchman accidentally leaving a switch open.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway-switch constructed in accordance with this invention and shown closed in full lines and open in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the operating-lever in-engagement with the vertical crank-shaft. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the operating-lever.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a vertical switch-stand which may be constructed in any desired manner and which is provided with suitable bearings gaged by a bifurcated end 8 of an operatinglever 9. The shaft may be squared between its bearings, and it is provided above and be low the lever-engaged portion 7 with suitable collars or flanges 10 and 11 to prevent any accidental upward or downward movement of the engaging end of the lever. The lever, which has its outer portion shaped into a suitable grip or handle, is inserted through ahorizontally-disposed arcuate slot 12 of the switchstand, the slot in practice being slightly less than ninety degrees and permitting the shaft to be rotated nearly one-quarter of a revolution by oscillating the lever horizontally. as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The stand is provided at one end of the arcuate slot with upper and lower vertically-disposed slots 13, forming entrances for lugs 14, which project from the opposite faces of the lever and which prevent the withdrawal of the same from the arcuate slot at any other point than the slots 13, whereby it is impossible to withdraw the operating-lever from the switch-stand while the switch is open. The spring is adapted when the lever is released to automatically return the latter to the slots 13 and simultaneously close the switch. i/Vhen the switch is closed, the crank is locked on its center, whereby the connections hereinafter explained are prevented from accidentally slipping. The upper end of the vertical shaft 2 may be provided with any'suitable signals 15 for indicating the condition of the switch. The bifurcated engaging end lever is provided with a rectangular opening. The crank is connected by a pitman or rod 16 with a slidable rod 17, which extends through 'a casing 18. One end of the slidable rod 17 is bifurcated to receive the rod or pitman 16, and its other end is connected with a bar 19, to which the movable switch-rails are connected. The end 20 of the bar 19 is bent upward and provided with a threaded opening to receive the end 21 of the slidable rod, which is also threaded.

The casing which houses the spring 6 is rectangular and consists of a box or body and a lid or cover 22. The lid or cover, which is hinged to the body or box at the back, is provided at its edges with grooves 23, receiving the upper edges of the box or body and provided with a suitable packing 24, of rubber or other suitable material, to form a water-tight joint or connection when the cover or lid is closed. The box or casing is also provided at opposite sides'with vertical grooves or ways 25, adapted to removably receive vertical plates 26 and 27, having openings for the passage of the slidable rod and spaced from the ends of the box or body for the reception of suitable packing. The spring bears against one of the plates and is engaged by an adj ustable device mounted on the slidable red, the adjustable device preferably consisting of a plate or washer 28 and a collar 29, having a clamping or set screw, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. The plates are removable and are adapted to be reversed to permit the spring to be readily reversed. The plate 27, which receives the spring, is provided with a suitable seat 30 for the same. The movable switch-rails, which are shown closed in full lines in Fig. 1 and open in dotted lines, may be of any desired construction and are capable of a limited lateral movement for opening and closing them. The main-line rails and the siding-rails may be of any desired construction and arrangement, as will be readily understood, as the improvements are applicable to various railway-switches.

The switch mechanism, which is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, is positive and reliable in operation and is capable of effectually preventing the switch from being left open to the main line. Also it will be clear that the spring is capable of automatically closing the switch and returning the operatingdever to the branch slots and that the horizontally-disposed arcuate slot forms a curved guide for the lever and prevents the same from being withdrawn until the lever is returned to the entrance-slots, so that there will be no liability of a switchman removing the operating-lever while the switch is open. The improvements can be applied to an ordinary switch-stand at a small costl Having thus fully described my invention, what i claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with switch-actuating mechanism,of a switch-stand provided with a guide having an entrance, and a removable operating device for actuating the switch mechanisn1,said operating device being inserted at the entrance of the guide and movable along the same and held against removal when moved away from the said entrance.

2. In a device of the class described, the com bination of switch-actuating mechanism hav ing a shaft, a switch-stand receiving the shaft and provided with an arcuate guide having an entrance, and a detachable operating device inserted through the entrance and movable along the guide to operate the said mechanism, said device being positively held against removal when moved away from the entrance.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of switcl1-actuating mechanisnnhaw ing a shaft, a switch-stand provided with an arcuate slot and having an entrance-slot extending from the arcuate slot, and a detachable operating-lever adapted to rotate the shaft and provided with a lug or projection adapted to be passed through the entranceslot and arranged to engage the interior of the switch-stand when moved away from the said entrance-slot.

t. In a device of the class described, the combination of switch-operating mechanismhaving a vertical shaft, a switch-stand receiving the shaft and provided with a horizontal slot and having entrance-slots extending upward and downward from the horizontal slot, and a lever adapted-to engage the shaft and provided with opposite lugs or projections arranged to be passed through the entranceslots and adapted to engage the switch-stand when removed from the said slots.

5. In a device of the class described,the combination with switch-actuating mechanism,of a switch-stand provided with a guide having an entrance, a removable operating device for actuating the switch mechanism, said operating device being inserted at the entrance of the guide and movable along the same and held against removal when moved away from the said entrance, and means for automatically returning the switch-actuating mechanism and the operating device to their initial position when the said operating device is released.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of switch-actuating mechanism having a shaft, a switch-stand receiving the shaft and provided with an arcuate guide having an entrance, a detachable device inserted through the entrance and movable along the guide to operate the said mechanism, said device being positively held against removal when moved away from the entrance, and a spring for automatically returning the switchactuating mechanism and. the operating device to their initial position when the said operating device is released.

7 In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, of switch-actuating mechanism, a detachable operating device therefor, and means for locking the operating device against removal when the switch-actuating mechanism is moved from its normal position.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, of switch-actuating mechanism, a detachable operating device therefor, means for locking the operating device against removal when the switch-actuating mechanism is moved from itsnormal position, and a spring for returning the switchactuating mechanism and the operating device to their initial position.

9. In adevice of the class described, the combination with a switch, of switch-actuating mechanism embodying a vertical shaft having a crank arranged on its center when the switch is closed, adetachableoperating-lever for partially rotating the crank shaft, means for locking the lever against removal when the switch-actuating mechanism is moved from its normal position, and a spring for returning the actuating mechanism and the operating device to their initial position when the latter is released.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with the switch, of switch-actuating mechanism embodying a vertical shaft,.

a switch-stand receiving the vertical shaft, a detachable operating-lever for partially rotating the shaft, means for locking the lever against removal when the actuating mechanism is moved from its normal position, and a spring for holding the switch normally closed for automatically returning the actuating mechanism and the operating-lever to their initial position when the latter is released.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, of actuating mechanism embodying a casing having removablyinterchangeable partitions, a rod extending through the casing and the partitions thereof,

and a spring housed within the casing and engaging the rod and one of the partitions.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, of actuating mechanism embodying a connecting-rod, a casing receiving the rod, partitions arranged within the casing and spaced from the ends thereof, a packing located between the partition and the ends of the casing, and a spring disposed on the rod and engaging the rod and one of the partitions.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, of switch-actuating mechanism embodying a connecting-rod, a casing through which the connecting-rod passes, said casing being provided with a lid having a groove to receive the body portion of the casing, a packing arranged within the groove, and a spring connected with the rod and housed within the casing.

14. In a device of the class described, the combination with movable switch-rails, a rod or bar connected with the same, a casing receiving the rod or bar, a spring housed within the casing for holding the switch-rails normally closed, a vertical shaft having a crank, means for connecting the crank with the rod or bar, and an operating device for actuating the movable switch-rails to open the same, said spring being adapted to automatically close the switch-rails and return the operating device to its initial position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GABRIEL NORMAN WRIGHT- Witnesses: CHAS. H. WRIGHT, CHARLES A. EHRIG. 

